The Dragon Chronicles
by Lucy Ashlyen Swifty
Summary: Ever wondered how dragons stopped being feared? How the first dragon slayer came about? How Zeref became a dark mage? How Achnologia became a bloodthirsty dragon? How the ancestors of our beloved Fairy Tail members shaped the world they live in today? Read Part 1 of the Dragon Chronicles, The Revolution to find out! [More details in Profile. Full sum at beginning of chapter 1]
1. Part 1: The Story so Far

**Hey, Lucy Ashlyen Swifty here!**

 **Welcome to my little (more like big) story! I am so excited for everyone who is reading this! If you come here and the story DOES NOT match the summary you read, it means that the story has moved on past part 1 and you will be able to find the summary I posted when working on part 1 as well as extra insight on the characters is on my page. If you come here and the summary has CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY since you last came to visit, don't worry. It's the same story, I just changed the summary to match the current part I am on. If you are confused about any of this or simply want a better explanation of the direction of this story, you can PM me before proceeding.**

 **I'm still going under revisions for this chapter, but don't worry, I am working hard on the next chapter as well. I hope that everyone makes it to the end of the page, and if you do, please let me know by sending a review (they motivate me). Thank you everyone who is working with me to make this story possible. Okay, done talking. Please enjoy!**

 **(P.S. this is going to be a sight AU that goes into 2 parts of prequels then flows into Fairy Tail cannon at the beginning of part 3, then moves away from cannon to go to the main story line.)**

 **-Lucy Ashlyen Swifty**

 **The Dragon Chronicles**

 **Part 1: The Revolution**

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Story so Far**

 _Long ago, in an age ruthlessly ruled by dragons, lived three brothers: Henry, Acnologia and Zeref Argon. These young men dwelled under the rule of Julius Igneel I, the fire wielding leader of the dragons and King of Fiore. Zeref and Acnologia grew up with the same mentality all humans shared; they respected, and feared, these large, magnificent creatures along with their magical ability to take on human form._

 _Henry, however, did not share his younger brothers' enthusiasm. As a young boy, he took note of everything they did. There was something different about these creatures that were very off-putting to him: the way they talked, the way they walked, the way they looked at each other and laughed at some feeble joke that only tickled their own humors... Any and all things they did bothered the young adolescent, but the one thing that really made his blood boil was when their narcissistic eyes happened to fall upon one not of their own kind. Their brows would furrow and their expressions became downcast as if they had made contact with something rather unclean. Surprisingly enough, a minute or two later, when the unsightly thing had disappeared, they would resume their previous affairs as if the disturbance had never occurred. The boy often pointed out the things he witnessed to his elders -only to have them dismissed. It was then that he began to notice the hidden flaws of the world around him._

 _Soon after this discovery, Henry began to search for and study any information he could find about these unusual individuals, but what he found only seemed to displease him even more. It was beyond him as to how only dragons held the capability to wield magic and found their attitudes filled with arrogance. Just because they had something humans lacked did not make them better. In his mind they were nothing but hideous monsters that held no worth._

 _Through the years, as the number of those who praised those despicable creatures increased, Henry's hatred and jealously for the winged beasts grew as well. Many asked him why he hated the rulers of their world so much, but every time he gave them his answer, they responded apathetically and continued to question his extreme beliefs._

 _By 18, the age of which one began pursuing a profession, Henry felt the need to expose the evil that resided in his country's leadership and, through financial aid, began to attend classes to become a lower council member, the division of the King's council dedicated to humans. Henry knew that it was a title and nothing more. The things the lower council brought up or discussed with the upper council, which only consisted of dragons, were mostly thrown away or laughed at in upper council meetings. Rarely in history had a bill or idea from the lower council been passed to His Lordship and made law. However, those who did not study their country's politics were naive about this unfair arrangement. They found members of the lower council to be highly significant and respected them greatly._

 _The day Henry would become a lower council member was a dream in the making. Upon election, his presence would catch the eye of the people and make those blind to the true intentions of his enemies open their eyes. With that, maybe, just maybe, he could spark a revolution. As a member of the council, he would finally be able to point out the inequality that the government stingily kept from its citizens. The world would praise his name and he would be known as the one who put those heathen beasts in their place. Oh, what a joyous day that would be for the young revolutionary!_

 _However, Henry's journey to councilhood was not as easy as expected. Due to his active mindset, it became very difficult for him to sit still while his professors preached, in his opinion, lies. Through perseverance and the support of the love of his life, Henry's battle became a bit smoother as he began his fight for justice..._

Our story begins on a sunny spring morning. Students had long stopped bustling through the Fiore Council Preparatory College, a two year school for those intending to be a council member or any other type of government worker, as the first set of classes of the day were already in session. Behind the secretary's desk in the front office, a petite but sophisticated looking woman of about 25 or so shuffled through stacks of paperwork, flashing her eyes over her desk counter every few minutes to see if anyone had arrived since her last peek.

Upon first glance, this woman might have appeared to be your average Jane, even her name, "Hisano," meaning "plain," was very mediocre. Despite her normal appearance, if one were to stare deeply into her onyx eyes, they would notice that her pupils were actually slits, like that of a cat or snake. If she opened her mouth wide, her elongated canine teeth would most likely attract one's attention. This secretary was not human at all, but a dragon in her human form. If more proof were needed, she could always lift her right sleeve to reveal the black stripe imprinted on her upper arm, below her shoulder, indicating her breed: general, rank one. This meant that she was of no specific breed type and had little to no magical ability. In result, she was placed in a government job that had no magical requirements.

Hisano glanced through the window to her left and noted the height of the sun. It was about lunch time, she decided. She leaned over the side of her chair as her delicate hands reached for the small bento(1) laying to the left of her on the floor and placed it on her desk. She opened the top, releasing the steam, and breathed in the delicious scent of her lunch. She had freshly made it earlier that morning.

With a quiet, "Itadakimasu(2)" and the sharp snap of her now separated chopsticks, Hisano was ready to eat. She picked up an omelet roll and lifted it towards her open mouth.

"Excuse me"

Hisano stopped abruptly. She looked up slowly, making eye contact with the stranger.

She had deadly straight blonde hair that somehow kept its ruler-like perfection until the ends, where it curled into large spirals. Her full, rose-red lips appeared soft and natural without the help of lipstick while her minty green irises were a bit oversized for her small, serious eyes. She sported a white ruffle blouse covered by a brown, three-quarter length sleeved suit jacket, buttoned only half way up for fashion purposes. Her pencil skirt, which lightly hugged her thighs, covered just the top of her knee caps. A matching pearl necklace and bracelet draped her neck and right wrist. On her left shoulder hung a brown, long-strapped purse that, despite its small size, contained numerous visible pockets and zippers. With both hands, she clutched the handle a simple, also brown, rectangular briefcase. Hisano was not able to see her shoes, if she could; they would most-likely be two-inch brown or white heels. The girl's aura screamed "Lower Councilman's daughter."

Hisano snorted. The lower council was such a joke; she almost pitied its members. Those worthless humans thought they were so high and mighty because they were a part of the King's council. In reality, the lower council was nothing but a mock assembly, but those stupid, egotistical individuals were too self-centered to realize that. They had their meetings, gave their ridiculous ideas to the upper council, acting as if they were as knowledgeable as a dragon, and went home with pockets full of money, thinking their petty conversations had somehow made the world a better place. Though their families dressed the part, their competence would never match that of those above them. No human could better a dragon; they were too foolish, doing things for money, greed or most often, love. Such naïve creatures they were. Hisano's body relaxed at these thoughts.

The young blonde paused for a moment, a light expression of concern on her face."Um, miss?" she began, pointing at the succulent food item,"Your omelet, it's about to-"

Hisano looked down at her chopsticks as her soft delight freed itself from her utensils and landed in her lap.

"-slip"

Hisano's already pink cheeks reddened. No one was allowed to see her eating. The principal had said that eating at the workplace was uncivilized, only something a weak, undisciplined human would do. "It shows a lack of sophistication. So uncouth!" he would say with a look of repulsion. However, despite her boss's wishes, when no one was around, Hisano found it perfectly acceptable to sneak a quick bite. A good girl was only a bad girl who had not been caught, right?

Blondie, as Hisano had decided to mentally dub the young girl, opened one of the zipper pouches on her little bag of wonders and pulled out a clean napkin. "Here," she offered, her dainty hand moved with graceful swiftness.

"Th-thank you." Hisano hesitantly took the napkin and used it to pick up the bit of omelet. She proceeded to ball up the tissue and throw it in her bento box, along with her chopsticks, forfeiting all other "eating on the job" attempts for the rest of the day. She sighed, carefully closed her bento, and placed it on the floor next to her chair where it had originally rested. She then moved on to the next task of importance, helping the young lady who had witnessed her break a very large rule. If Hisano helped her quickly, she might never have to see the the girl again and it would feel like she had never made the mistake in the first place.

The young secretary regained her professional composure. "So, Miss..." Hisano trailed off, which should have implied to the young woman that she needed to offer her name. Calling her 'Blondie' out lout was out of the question.

"Stella," she began. "Stella Strauss. You see," she shifted her weight and lowered her head shyly, "due to a family circumstance, I was not able to come to orientation. I never received any information, much less my schedule or a school map"

Strauss...Hisano had heard that name before, one often heard in conversations in the surrounding village. She mentally searched through all the names of importance in the state. Nothing rang a bell. She brushed if off and continued her service as if nothing has crossed her mind.

"If you give me a moment, I can pull your file from the back. Hisano put on a friendly smile.

"That would be great, thank you," replied the girl.

"I will be back in a moment then," Hisano stood, sashayed to the back of the room, and exited through a door.

Once the woman was gone, Stella relaxed. She had always hated being in front of people. Their inquisitive eyes always seemed to stare right through her soul and, to be honest, it made her uncomfortable. Though she appeared to be a lady of sophistication and grace, it was not who she wanted to be. She wanted to be with the people instead of above them. She wanted to serve with her hands and not her words. But most of all Stella Strauss wanted to escape all the expectations that came with her status. she wanted to be free.

In a way of sorts, she was free. Well, as free as one of her status could be. These next two years at college, and maybe a bit after, were her little taste of freedom. After that, everything would change and she would be required to fit into the role society had carved out for her. A role none of her current peers could ever picture her in. One day they would, but not today. The circumstances were too different.

The click of heels on the laminate flooring, announced the secretary's return. Stella straightened her posture and placed a light smile on her face.

The lady handed her a small stack of brochures and pamphlets along with a piece of paper: her schedule. "Now," she began, "I would normally recommend you go somewhere quiet and read through all this, but your first class, 'History of Dragons I' with Professor Hardwin has already started. He usually takes most of the first class of the semester giving a brief summary of the course, but the last half hour is an important foundation lecture you do not want to miss. Judging by the time, you should be able to make it before he starts that last bit. When you exit the building, you will see a long, one-story structure on the left of the courtyard. That is the Hall of History, literally. Go through the large glass doors; his room is the one at the very end.

Stella quickly thanked the kind secretary for her help and exited the office.

Hisano sighed in relief and resumed her paperwork. That Strauss girl had some nerve coming late to her first lecture, even with a legitimate excuse, she thought. Well, at least she would not be causing any trouble like that Argon boy. She expected a complaint from every professor he would come in contact with today. But no matter how much ruckus he caused, the school could not kick him out. He was the son of the king's right hand man. And if it was not for that poor girlfriend of his, he would cause even more trouble. For a human, she deserved a lot of respect for all she goes through on a regular basis. What was her name again? Strauss, Stella Strauss.

Hisano stopped short, her eyes widening, finally realising the identity of the young woman she had just helped a few minutes prior. More than likely, Stella Strauss and Henry Argon had been enrolled in the same classes. More than likely, he had already caused a ruckus in Professor Hardwin's class. Hisano gulped. More than likely, Stella Strauss was about to find herself in the middle of a storm.

(1) A Japanese lunch box. Usually contains rice and a few other items like sausages, omelet rolls, rice rolls, and fruits and vegetables. Can be decorated cutely. For more information, go to your preferred search engine, type in "bento"

(2) In Japan, people say this before eating a meal. Could translate into either "Let's eat!" or "Thanks [God or gods] for the food!

 **Congratulations to everyone who made it to the bottom! I hope you didn't die inside. I want to go ahead and lay this out for y'all. Each part is going to be the equivalent of a book or full story and the whole thing represents a series. I would separate them into individual stories, BUT I'm hoping that all of the books together will eventually beat the record of longest fan fiction on this site (DON'T think that's why I'm writing this, but if I have a good long story why not go for the gold?). I hope that each and every one of you enjoy this and stick to this story. I promise that it will be worth the read and if you can stick through the two prequels then you'll have the greatest Fairy Tail story of a lifetime.**

 **-Lucy Ashlyen Swifty**


	2. Henry Argon

**Hey, Lucy here! Glad you made it to chapter number two! Beware the formal speech, it's just the culture. Anyways, enjoy!**

 **-Lucy Ashlyen Swifty**

 **The Dragon Chronicles**

 **Part 1: The Revolution**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Henry Argon**

A light wind blew through the empty space as Stella briskly walked to her destination. The air was starting to cool.

The thought of the approaching fall weather excited Stella. Summer was the absolute worst season for someone like her who hated having to wear lesser clothing in order to keep from overheating. She was not the kind to wear skimpy clothing.

Knowing that she would have to intrude upon the already in-session classroom, Stella moved her thoughts to concentrating on more school related items... like how she could make her entrance as discrete as possible. She entered the building, the clicks of her heals echoed through the long hallway until she reached the lecture hall at the end.

Hand on the doorknob, Stella took a deep breath. She would enter in 5, 4, 3, 2-

"Why do I have to sit through this!" roared a voice from inside the classroom.

Stella stopped short. There was only one word to describe the situation on the other side of the door: Henry.

Another voice, not angry, but lightly drained answered in return, assumedly Professor Hardwin. "Now, Sir Argon, that was totally uncalled for, please sit down and-"

"They're pompous, selfish monsters" he declared. "They killed and ate my parents right in front of me! Such things do not need to be glorified!"

Oh boy.

Feeling secondhand embarrassment, Stella's hands instinctively covered her eyes. Why now of all times must he start a mess? And on the first day? This would most likely create trouble, and trouble was something Henry could not afford. Following her intuition, Stella rushed through the door.

As soon as Stella entered the room, her confidence left her. For some reason, the feeling of barging into a classroom to rescue her quick-tempered boyfriend contrasted too greatly from doing the same out on the streets. And it made all the difference. She watched, paralyzed, just inside the classroom, as an angry-eyed Henry slammed his fist against the desk in front of him.

"I am not in this class to hear some inexperienced professor twist the truth about the creators of this awful society!" His expression was livid, just like every other time something government-related upset him. "I was hoping to learn the truth in this lousy class, but I guess that was too much to expect," he spat. These same dragons that everyone praised had ruined the bright future for his kind. Why were they so highly thought of? Henry made his defining statement: "I will not sit in this class and listen to such brainwashing filth!" He picked up his books and placed them in his satchel, then proceeded to buckle it, sling the strap around his shoulder and began to walk out the door.

Professor Hardwin, a middle aged man with a receding hairline and a mildly muscular figure turned with a well-practiced emotionless expression to face his enraged student. He was in a professional setting. No matter how angry he was at Sir Argon, he had to keep his composure. Hardwin walked slowly to his podium and shuffled the papers he had laid upon it.

"Sir Argon, you're studying to become a member of the lower council, yes?"

Henry paused. This quite simple question had not been the predicted reaction to his criticism on the course's content. "O-of course!" He took a deep breath and attempted to regain his confidence. "Is that not what everyone else is here for?" He gestured to his wide-eyed classmates and gulped. All focus was on him, but was that not his intention? He wanted to call out the wrongs of this society. How could he have the confidence and wit to do so in front of the world if he could not even face his own peers?

Henry could feel his heart beat heavily through his chest. He opened his mouth and resumed his objection. "Our world's history has been tweaked by the rulers of this country to have us believe we are nothing but weaklings that cannot survive without their help; how they are our saviors and we are so grateful to be in their hands," he deadpanned. "We are much more capable than they let us think we are and if we all work together, we can overthrow them and make the world right again. But..." Henry paused to pick up the copy of The History of Dragons and Their Impact on the Human Race from the seat behind him and showed it to his listeners. "If we continue to believe the lies in this," he gestured toward the book, "then we will also continue to do nothing and will forever be under their pretentious and oppressive rule!"

Hardwin sighed. Today Sir Argon had taken the expression of his overly passionate views to a new level, considering he knew a lot about the young man. Annoying the public was one thing, but disrupting one's education was another. "Well, to be frank, I just want to finish my lecture without further interruption. So, Sir Argon, whether you stay or not, if you could please see me after class, I would be willing to hear you out." The now irritated professor began striding to the door, taking note of the poor blonde frozen in the doorway in fear. He had seen her around before. It was Sir Argon's girlfriend, Lady Strauss. She had matured quite a bit since he had last seen her, maybe about a year ago it seemed. From what he had heard, she acted as a mediator between Henry and whoever he challenged quite often. That was more than any companion should have to do.

He gave her a look of pity and gestured for her to sit down before resuming his speech to the class, but mainly to Henry. "It's common knowledge that those in charge are the ones who write history, and if they so please, they can tweak it any way they like. However, unlike you Sir Argon, I have trust and respect towards our leaders that the history of our fine country has been written according to the events of its past." Hardwin held up his pointer finger as if to place emphasis on his next subject, "But, if for some reason, there contains even a single lie, I have faith that it is for our own benefit, however," he opened the door and motioned to the empty hallway it led to, "if your disagreement with my statement is so strong that you feel that attending this class is a burden to you, then you can leave at any time." He hated to do this to the Sir Argon, but if the boy did not find a way to restrain himself, then his reputation would prevent him from getting anywhere in life. Plus, he could not have him constantly disrupting his lectures. "Make your choice. Either sit and behave or get out. This is a history class, not a debate class. You are a college student; please behave like one."

Henry huffed. He had worked hard to get into this preparatory college and there was no point if he wasted his scholarship money and became a noted failure. He straightened his posture and found a seat next to Stella. "I have decided to stay."

The rest of the class groaned. Meanwhile, Henry silently took his seat, pulled out his notebook and began copying the diagrams from the board.

Hardwin slowly closed the door and paraded back to his podium to resume his lecture. "Now class, it has been believed that all dragons came from one origin-" but, he was cut short by the bell for class dismissal. Its wails throughout the premises made any attempt to continue his sentence futile. He sighed as his students gathered their notes and walked to the door. "Be sure to read chapters one through three before next class!" he shouted, "There will be a test! Tell all your classmates who have left the room already!"

Henry buckled his satchel and began to walk to the door when he heard a voice echo.

"You, Sir Argon, need to stay a moment."

Henry turned to face his teacher, who's expression was softer than it had been few moments ago. He appeared to be neither irritated nor angry, just… worried. It was then that he began to feel shame from his actions. This professor had nothing against him; he was just doing his job. If only he could control his passionate emotions, then maybe he might be able to make the lives of those around him easier.

"Henry, stay here and talk to the professor." he felt Stella place her hand on his shoulder from behind. Her voice melodically ran through his overtaxed ears like a song of rejuvenation. "I need to meet up with some classmates to find out what I've missed."

"Go ahead. See you…" he turned his head to face her, staring deeply in her entrancing irises, and became lost in her presence."…after your last class?" he whispered sensually. Man, this woman could take him to another planet in a matter of seconds.

A bashful smile crept on Stella's face, obviously trying to contain her excitement "At our regular spot?" Her body lightly swayed from side to side. "See you then." she whistled.

The warm hand released as she turned and walked away, shocking Henry back into reality. He turned to see his professor erasing the diagrams from the board. He groaned. The matter at hand still had to be dealt with. Because Hardwin knew him well, Henry would get a severe talking to, much like a parent to a misbehaving child.

As the doors of the lecture room finally closed, Professor Hardin relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "Sir Argon, hold on for a moment." He gathered his papers and placed them in a briefcase on his desk that Henry had not taken note of until a few moments prior. He carefully closed the briefcase, and then clicked the latches in place with swift, practiced precision that could only come from years of repetition. He then picked it up and began walking up the center aisle, leading him directly out of the classroom. "Walk with me to my office, if you will, please."

Once they were in the hallway, the professor began his questioning. "Sir Argon, why do you insist on biting the hand that feeds you?"

"Professor," Henry began, somehow maintaining his cool composure, "you are no stranger to my family or my situation. You know why. We have had this conversation many a time."

"But you have yet to tell me the full story." the old man pushed, "every time I get a different answer. When will you learn to trust those who are trying to help you?"

"I trust Stella," Henry answered stupidly, shuffling his feet, staring at the ground.

"Stella is different and you know that."

Henry knew that more than anyone and he knew exactly how special Stella was when he first laid eyes on her two- no three years ago.

When they first met, the primary thing Stella had done was throw him a look of utter disgust. She was the daughter of a wealthy family in the neighboring state, he had been told, who would continue her last two years of education through Tholumous, his guardian who doubled as the King's Right Hand and the royal tutor, and then go to college to become a council member. However, she had appeared discontent about her current situation and constantly wore a face of boredom.

Normally, Henry would not have associated with such snobbery, but there was something about her that intrigued him. From the bottom of his heart he wanted to know everything about her, including why she radiated an aura of pure displeasure. It was when he approached her and said 'hello' that her hard expression slowly dissipated. It was like watching ice melt.

"She is the only one I trust with all of my heart," he said with confidence. "Nothing could ever cause me to lose that."

The middle-aged professor raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?" He stopped in the middle of the hallway and stared right into Henry's eyes. "What if she had some big secret that she could not tell you, hmm?" he challenged. "What if it was something so mind blowing that if she told you, you would desert her in an instant?"

"Nonsense," Henry retorted. "Stella and I tell each other everything. There are no secrets between us."

"Not even one?" Hardwin prodded.

"There is nothing I have yet to tell her." The young man's words oozed confidence and trust. "But if she does indeed have a secret, I trust that it is for my own good that she not tell me it. But no secret, no matter what the content, could warp my feelings for her."

If it was anything that Hardwin admired about Sir Argon, it was his loyalty to his beliefs and to those he held dear to him, even if he handled it the wrong way. "I have no problem with you saying that," the old professor smiled, "just make sure you won't eat those words later."

Though he was glad that he had gotten some information out of the young man, Hardwin quickly realized he had gotten the wrong kind. "Sir Argon, I wanted to talk with you not so I can understand your bond with your girlfriend, but why you really hate our government. I need to understand the source of your outbursts." He pushed open the glass doors that lead to courtyard, fresh spring air filling their lungs.

Henry paused. "You really want to know?" He asked cautiously.

The old man gave Henry a look of sincerity. "As an old family friend and as your professor, yes; I want to know what I can do to help you. I need to be able to understand where you are coming from. I have an open mind and an open heart." He noticed a small park bench resting under the shade of a large nearby cherry oak, and gestured to his student that he wished for him to sit down. He had a feeling that this would take a long time.

"Don't you have other classes to teach?" Henry inquired out of genuine concern while taking a seat on the park bench.

"No, none today."

The boy gave him a confused look. It was then that Professor Hardwin realized that despite Henry's misguided philosophies, he might just be a diamond in the rough. Though he had a short temper when it came to things that upset him, the boy had a good heart. He was capable of caring. Most people lacked that good virtue.

The professor chuckled. "Most of my classes are Tuesday, Thursday. The one you are in is the only Monday, Wednesday, Friday class I have. The only thing I need to do today is finish preparing for all my classes for tomorrow. I have plenty of time to hear your story."

The boy nodded, showing his understanding.

"Do you really want to know?" Henry asked for a second time.

"Yes, truly."

Henry took a deep breath. Then, after clearing his mind of all other distractions, he began. "Before I was taken in by Tholumous, I lived on a farm with my parents. Zeref was six, Achnologia was seven, almost eight, and I had just turned nine…"

 **Thanks for being awesome and reading all the way through. Tune in next time! Cya!**

 **-Lucy Ashlyen Swifty**


	3. Little Farmer Boy

**The Dragon Chronicles**

 **Part 1: The Revolution**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Little Farmer Boy**

Mama and Papa had specifically told Henry and his brothers to stay in their room. Did Acnologia and Zeref listen? Of course not. Instead, they ran to the front door in the foyer and took turns peeking through a small crack.

Henry sat on the floor in the bedroom they all shared, waiting for his brothers' return. Normally, after a minute or two, once they had had their fun, the two boys would come back. This time, even after five minutes, they were still eavesdropping. So, he waited. And waited. And waited. Where were his stupid brothers?

Finally, Henry's patience wore off. He stood quietly, opened the door a tad, and stuck his head through the opening. "Guys! Get back here! You're takin' too long!" he whispered aggressively.

Acnologia waved him off as he scooted over to let Zeref have his turn. "Don't be a wet blanket, Henry. We aren't gonna get caught," he spoke loudly. "Plus, something's actually happening this time!"

"Yeah!" Zeref's crystal blue eyes stayed glued to the tiny crevice. "That fat man is yell'n at Papa, an' Momma's tryin' to keep Papa from gettin' real angry. Keep's say'n we didn' give him 'nuff beh-ji-ta-bles this time around."

" _ve_ getables, Zeref, _ve_ getables," Acnologia corrected. "You're six and you live on a farm; you should know how to say vegetables."

"Mama says you should stop bein' so anal retentative," Zeref turned to his brother and stuck his tongue out in defiance.

"It's 'retentive,' not 'retentative,' -and I am _not_!" Acnologia shot back.

"Just what are you talkin' about?" Henry surrendered his will of obedience and decided to join his brothers. He jogged over to the front door and, for the first time ever, looked through the crack in the door.

Outside stood a round man with angry eyes and a blue finely trimmed mustache who appeared to be verbally chastising his parents. Henry recognized the old coot. It was Lord Gremizu.

Lord Gremizu, a nature dragon, was like the town's mayor except more... dictatorly. Lords like Gremizu were not very uncommon, if not the norm, in this time and age, but this man was by far one of the most evil of his kind. His main hobby was harassing all the farmers for not producing enough food and claiming that their incompetence was starving the whole town, when in reality it was Lord Gremizu himself who was the culprit.

Every Sunday, or so it seemed, Lord Gremizu would hold a giant celebration and invite all the Lords and Ladies from neighboring cities for a fun night of drinking, music, and a giant feast. Only about ten percent of goods produced by the farmers were distributed to the rest of the townspeople. No one could complain really, considering that it had been happening for centuries and to date, no one had ever survived standing up to a dragon.

Henry watched as Lord Gremizu waddled over to his father and grabbed his shirt by its collar. "You have one month to produce more vegetables, Argon, you understand?" he grinned.

"But Sir!" his mother pleaded, "That won't be enough time! Harvest season is almost over! It's beginning to get too cold for our plants to produce new vegetables!" She knelt to the ground and bowed at his feet, then looked up at him respectfully. "Maybe, sir, if you used some of your weather magic, we could-"

"You could what?" He interrupted her smugly. "You could have an easier time? You could..." He paused then smiled, "Slack off?"

"No sir! Not at all!" His mother's eyes widened in fear and she placed her hands and head at his feet. "It's just that the weather has been unusually cold this year and we've had a hard time growing our crops! If you could just help us this one time, we would be ever indebted to you!"

Lord Gremizu's eyes seemed to laugh with mockery. He moved his right foot forward and used the toe of his boot to lift up Henry's mother's chin. "A vegetable farmer is having a hard time growing vegetables?" He cocked his head slightly to the side and pouted his lips, "How sad, and yet ironic. Someone who has grown up farming vegetables can't get a harvest."

"Why, you seething, scaly monster!" His dad yelled, tugging his shirt collar out of the fat man's hands. "You have no idea how hard it is to grow crops! I would like to see you lower your fat behind and try to do our jobs!" He shook his finger at Lord Gremizu.

"Max!" Henry's mother quickly stood up and stood between the two men. "Please forgive my husband, Lord Gremizu, sir." She bowed her head in respect. "He has always been a little hot headed. He means no harm, really!"

Gremizu narrowed his eyes then gave a sneaky smile. "Oh, that's not a problem at all, Mrs. Argon. Best I better be going anyways." He turned and began walking to his carriage. About halfway he stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. "Oh, and I was going to help you after seeing your pitiful faces, but I don't feel like lowering my 'fat behind' to help you. So, instead, I'm going to give you a little working motivation." He held up his pointer finger and swirled it in the air. Immediately, the clouds in the sky grayed and Henry felt the temperature drop a few degrees.

Lord Gremizu walked the rest of the distance to his carriage and whipped the horses to tell them it was time to move. "Remember," he yelled as his carriage began to pull away, "You have a month to give me 60 barrels of harvest or I'll be finding myself a new vegetable farmer family!"

Once Lord Gremizu was gone, Henry saw his parents begin walking back to the house, both wearing devastating faces.

"They're coming back!" he whispered to his brothers. And the boys quickly retreated to their room.

...

Dinner was unusually quiet that night. Nothing was heard except the clanging of silverware as it scratched against their plates and the noisy chewing of Henry and his brothers.

Finally, Henry's mom put her fork down and broke the silence. "Boys, you know the Yamadas, right? They're the poultry farmers about two farms down from ours."

In this time and age, it was typical for each farm family of a town to produce certain products or goods. The Argons produced vegetables, Yamadas poultry, Larsons dairy, Applebottoms ironically cared for fruit orchards, Silikins freshwater fish and so on. There were also farm families for livestock, wheats and grains, cotton, wool, wine production, and honey and scented oils, but Henry had never met those families.

"Yes ma'am, I remember the Yamadas. They have a young girl about my age, right?" Henry answered.

"Yes, Henry, Matilda is about your age." His mother confirmed. "Well, I talked to Mr. Yamada and he heard that you just had your birthday. He invited you to come over tomorrow and pick a nice fat chicken to take home and have for dinner."

"A whole chicken?" Zeref's eyes lit up.

"Of course a whole chicken, you dummy!" Achnologia whipped his hand out and smacked his brother on the head. "Ya think he meant half?"

"Achnologia!" Their mother scolded, "No hitting people! Especially at the dinner table! Do you want your father to tan your hide?" She threatened.

Achnologia put his hands in his lap, slouched his shoulders, and hung his head. "No ma'am." He looked up and glared at his younger brother. "But Zeref shouldn't be so stupid," he muttered in protest.

"But _you_ shouldn't be so anal retentative. Then maybe you wouldn't get in trouble all the time!" Zeref shot back.

"For the last time, it's 'retentive' not 'retentative' Zeref." Achnologia turned to his mother. "Momma, what's 'anal retentive' mean?"

"Boys!" Their mother slammed her hands on the table. "This is not the type of conversation to be having at the dinner table! Pick up your plates, wash them and put them away!" she ignored the previous topic and began clearing the table.

Henry took his empty plate and stood in line with his brothers for his turn to wash his plate, thinking about the scene he had witnessed earlier that day. He continued to think about it until it was time for bed, and their mother had come in to wish him and his brothers 'goodnight' and tuck them in.

"Hey Momma?" Zeref asked as she pulled his blanket up to his chin.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She responded.

"Are we really getting a whole chicken tomorrow?"

She brushed Zeref's blonde hair out of his face. "Yes, we are sweetheart," she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Are we gonna have chicken'n dumplin's?" He inquired.

She smiled lightly and stroked his cheek with her fingers. "Well darling, it depends on what Henry wants, it's for his birthday, remember? If he wants chicken and dumplings, I'll scrounge around some ingredients and make chicken and dumplings. If he wants chicken stew, I'll do likewise and make chicken stew."

Zeref sat up and looked at Henry. "Henry, we can have chicken'n dumplin's, right?"

Henry shrugged. "I dunno. Haven't really thought about it yet."

"Well think about it now! Please?" Zeref pleaded, clasping his hands together and pouting his lips.

Henry thought for a moment.

"Well? Can we?" Zeref asked.

"Sure, why not?" Henry said.

"Yay! Chicken'n dumplin's!" Zeref licked his lips.

Henry sighed. The little brat was going to get what he wanted anyways. He always did. Henry personally was just happy to be getting meat. He and the rest of his family had grown up with mostly nothing but vegetables, so anything but was a treat.

After collecting day, a quad-annual event, when Lord Gremizu and his goons collected goods from all the farmers and "distributed it to the townspeople," All the farmers would gather together and trade some of their personal keep (which was not very much) with the others so that for a short period of time, everyone would have a balanced diet. Henry would never get to go because his parents always left him at home to watch his brothers, but he always remembered them coming home with goods from every farm. Mainly because vegetables were in high demand, so everyone always traded with them for fresh produce and sometimes even packs of seeds. However, the Yamadas usually traded unfertilized chicken, quail, or duck eggs instead of the actual birds themselves, so poultry was rarer treat than the other meats they usually had surrounding Collecting Day.

Henry's mom finished her 'goodnight's to her children, blew out the candle, and left to go to his parent's room. Henry snuggled down into his blanket and grinned. The problem he witnessed today was out of his thoughts, because tomorrow, he would have chicken.

 **Hey everyone! I tried to get this out quickly! As you can see, I split the original chapter 1 into 2 chapters. My goal is to keep close to 2,000 words per chapter until I get off my "trying to start the story" writer's block and let the story start writing itself. Anyways, next chapter will cover the rest of Henry's backstory and describe the awful event that made Henry hate dragons. Hope you enjoyed! Please send me a review! Thanks!**

 **-Lucy Ashlyen Swifty**


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